The first American political party originated in 1787 and was known as the Federalists, who supported a strong central government. In 1796, the opposing party known as Anti-Federalists, Democratic-Republicans, emerged in support of the government, leaving them alone as much as possible. Parties would reinvent themselves and would change names from this point on until the creation of the Republican and Democrat parties we know today. Within the last four decades of US history, these two parties have polarized to create a system where candidates from any other party did not stand a chance. With two distinct parties come strong opposing opinions on important topics. This is where it becomes difficult as a moderate who holds both conservative and liberal views with neither party supporting a majority of them.

From a personal standpoint, I believe America is about expressing yourself and living your life to your pleasing. In terms of current issues I think you have a right to own a gun, have a same-sex marriage, fly your confederate flag, practice religious freedom and basically do whatever makes you happy without taking away any one else’s rights. When it comes time to vote, it is frustrating trying to decide on what party to register under (if you live in a state with a closed primary election) and on who to vote for. Holding views that go both left and right means making a compromise regardless of who your next president will be.

Since you are neither a Republican nor a Democrat, you have people that disagree with you on both sides. Your conservative family may not like that you support gay marriage, and your liberal friends will argue with you that guns should be banned. You will never please anyone, and you feel as though you always have someone trying to persuade you to vote for his or her party. Being a moderate also means that you see a lot of issues from both sides. This only makes it harder to decide which solution is best. For instance, I can see why we should help Syrian refugees in a humanitarian sense, but I also see that allowing them into the US can pose security risks. Neither party supports my point of view completely, but neither is right or wrong.

In a survey of more than a thousand participants, NBC News found that nearly 51% percent of Americans could be considered moderates. If so many citizens hold both conservative and liberal views, it raises the question of whether or not the two-party system is best for America. When voters must pick between two candidates that do not support a majority of their views, we are stuck with presidents that do not represent the opinions of 51 percent of Americans.